Cessna 180-H accident near Cordova, Alaska, April 14, 1986
On April 14, 1986 at about 11:56 am local time, a Cessna 180-H, registered N700HJ, was destroyed in an accident near Cordova, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 14, 1986 · about 11:56 am local time
- Place
- Cordova, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180-H · all 180-Hs on the register
- Registration
- N700HJ · no longer on the register · serial 18051877
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER LIFT OFF FROM THE WATER, THE LEFT WING TIP CAUGHT THE WATER CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO CARTWHEEL AND SINK. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE WIND WAS REPORTED AS 060 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS GUSTING 35 KNOTS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 514 hours in all; 502 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 447 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,253 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1986; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Port Etches AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.